A sculptured pillar and a fountain amongst Roman ruins in Pompeii, Italy.

Roman ruins in Pompeii, near Naples, Italy. Views of ancient stone streets lined with walls and buildings. Columned Front and courtyard of a grand villa. Elaborately carved stone border on a house. Carved stone commemorating some event. Painted walls on interior of a house (looking almost as bright as they were when painted) with portraits of a man and woman on them. A stone gateway at a town square. Statue of a faun that was part of a fountain in courtyard of a grand villa. Statue of a boy holding a goose. Views of smoldering lava on Mt. Vesuvius. (Note: When the volcano Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D. the then seaside village of Pompeii was covered with hot ash, killing almost all of its inhabitents, man and beast alike, and lay undisovered for almost 2000 years. There is still much to be excavated by archeologists.)